With the popularization of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, mobile applications, or “apps,” have become household terms. Apps are computer applications that execute on mobile devices. Like applications that execute on traditional computing devices, apps allow users to perform a wide range of actions, from simple (e.g., access the Internet, take a photo) to specialized (e.g., file tax forms, play a board game). For instance, many banking institutions provide customers with apps to access to bank accounts to review balance information, transfer money, pay bills, and perform other related actions. Similarly, many financial institutions also provide customers with apps that review the performance of the stock markets, complete trades, configure automated trades using user-defined limits and stops, and perform other intricate trading operations. Various vendors provide mobile apps for use by their customers for making purchases, obtaining loyalty points and rewards, receiving information about promotions, etc.
Purchasers desiring to make a purchase typically go use mobile apps or search web sites over the Internet to find an item for purchase. Popular online sites for purchasing from multiple vendors include sites such as Amazon®. Other multi-vendor sites allow vendors and/or purchasers to bid on items for purchase and complete a transaction at a close of a bidding period or upon receipt of an acceptable bid. For example, web sites such as Ebay® allow purchaser bidding. However, a burden is placed on the purchaser to research and ascertain the nature and character of the goods or services offered for sale. Purchasers are responsible for manually filtering data regarding desired items. For example, if a purchaser is seeking a particular shoe in a particular model, size, and color, manufactured by a particular manufacturer, the purchaser is required to manually filter this data to locate the item. Although some web sites provide filtering categories, the categories are not always representative of purchaser needs.
Some available services, such as Priceline® allow vendor bids and perform filtering for a purchaser. However, with Priceline and similar services, the purchaser is not able to view the hotel or good or service provided prior to purchasing. Thus, the purchaser has little control over the actual item purchased.
Furthermore, no current platform exists for enabling mobile app users to be notified of the availability of consumable goods, such as a meal, through a particular vendor located in close proximity to the purchaser without the user of purchaser filtering. Furthermore, in existing systems that require the purchaser to perform filtering, to locate a vendor in immediate proximity with availability and to conduct the transaction online and show up at the restaurant, the systems typically provide no assurance to the vendor of purchaser payment. Instead, payment is generally not required or verified until the purchaser reaches the establishment to obtain the consumable goods. Thus, vendors are generally not provided with any assurances that the purchaser will transfer funds and complete the transaction. The purchaser also accepts the vendor representation that the goods are available without any particular assurances. Furthermore, no cross vendor platform currently exists for vendors to offer goods and services to mobile users having predetermined preferences, thereby minimizing the effort expended on the part of both vendors and purchasers.
Accordingly, a solution is needed that will allow mobile purchasers to pre-set preferences via a mobile application and to be provided with notification when a vendor is capable of delivering goods or services that comply with the purchaser pre-set preferences. Further, a solution is needed that allows the purchaser to select an item offered by the vendor once the system has located the item and the vendor, or to select a vendor if more than one vendor is able to supply an item satisfying the pre-set purchaser preferences. The solution should automatically and dynamically notify both purchasers and vendors of transaction status from opening of the transaction to completion of the transaction.
Accordingly, the presently disclosed invention offers a solution providing assurances to both purchasers and vendors, eliminates the need for manual filtering on the part of purchasers and vendors, and controls established transactions from initiation to closing.